Mere moments after being selected to lead the Catholic Church in his role as 266th pope, Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, quietly let the world know that his papacy wouldn’t be business as usual.

Rejecting a ride in a luxurious, privately chauffeured vehicle to “go with the guys on the bus” and making a quick detour to pay the bill for the modest guesthouse where he had been staying during the conclave: these two acts on his first day as pope conveyed Francis’s “of the people” posture, one that has come to define his tenure.

There have been many highlights of these first two and a half years with Francis as pope. Here are nine of my favorites: (READ MORE)

One of the world’s most recognized and loved spiritual leaders, Mother Teresa has inspired millions with her extraordinary example of compassionate and selfless work for the poor, the ill, and the outcast.

Considered by many to be a saint, she was a steadfast voice of love and faith, providing immeasurable kindness and guidance to the world’s downtrodden.

We hope you’ll enjoy these short excerpts from her book No Greater Love, which offers the most accessible and inspirational collection of her teachings ever published.(READ MORE)

Pope Francis recently made headlines when his spokesperson announced that the Pope would not be authorizing bonuses traditionally distributed to 4,000 Vatican employees upon the succession of one pope by another. Citing the Vatican’s 15-million-euro debt, spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi was quoted as saying that bonuses “might be normal in a situation of abundance, but that is not the world we find ourselves in now.”(READ MORE)

March is Women’s History Month, and March 8 was the 100-year anniversary of International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. In some places, such as China, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

I have seen tremendous change in the past fifty years, and the opportunities for my daughters and granddaughters are quite different from what faced me when I graduated from college. Today, a resurgence of the sacred feminine is sweeping the planet, and I wanted to know who the Goddess really is.

As a member of the Catholic Dominican Order for 34 years, Matthew Fox held closely to the mystical teachings of Christianity, teachings that embraced the feminine, the natural world, and social justice in their vision of the sacred. Fox's approach continually put him at odds with the Vatican, and in 1998, he was expelled from the Order by Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.